Province warns of river water health risks

A water quality test on the Annapolis, Cornwallis and Habitant rivers taken last September and October showed high fecal coliform bacteria counts. (FILE)

A water quality report released this week on Annapolis Valley watersheds is a reminder to be careful when using surface water, says a news release.

Last year, the provincial Environment Department asked the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research to test water quality on the Annapolis, Cornwallis and Habitant rivers. Most of the 65 samples taken last September and October showed high fecal coliform bacteria counts.

High nutrient levels often causing algae blooms also were evident in 59 samples.

“This report is based on one set of samples and it’s a snapshot in time but … serves as a good reminder that coliform bacteria and other potential contaminants may be found in surface water,” said provincial Environment Minister Randy Delorey.

“Surface water sources are open to the elements, and coliform levels can be affected by weather events, animal activity and malfunctioning septic systems.”

A water quality report on the Carleton River watershed in Digby and Yarmouth counties was released two weeks earlier.

Prepared by the same research team from Acadia University, that study — which has been done for several years — showed water quality neither improved or worsened very much, said Environment Department spokeswoman Lori Errington.

All fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly, and surface water should never be used for drinking, said Gary O’Toole, director of environmental health with the Health and Wellness Department.

The more animals present in one place, the greater the likelihood of higher fecal bacteria counts, O’Toole said Wednesday.

But fecal bacteria can be found in any natural water supply, he said.

“Those results are not unexpected. Our standard advice is people should never drink water taken directly from a lake or a river.”

Cyanobacteria, resulting in blue-green algae blooms on some lakes, particularly in western Nova Scotia, is a separate bacteria, he said.

And it can’t be eradicated by boiling. Cyanobacteria is actually toxic.

“You can’t remove a toxin by boiling the water,” said O’Toole.

Boiling would actually concentrate toxins, making the water more dangerous, he said.

In another news release Wednesday, the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals in Vancouver said runoff and environmental degradation from mink farms is harmful.

Calling the provincial water quality reports damning, the national advocacy group urged Nova Scotians to contact elected officials to urge the shutdown of the mink industry.